CVE-2026-90230: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvmet: fix heap out-of-bounds read in nvmet_auth_negotiate() nvmet_execute_auth

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvmet: fix heap out-of-bounds read in nvmet_auth_negotiate() nvmet_execute_auth_send() all

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvmet: fix heap out-of-bounds read in nvmet_auth_negotiate() nvmet_execute_auth_send() allocates the DH-HMAC-CHAP message buffer with the host-supplied transfer length (tl) and hands it to nvmet_auth_negotiate() without passing tl along. nvmet_auth_negotiate() then reads the negotiate header and, for each of the halen hash identifiers and dhlen DH group identifiers, indexes into the fixed idlist[60] array (hashes at idlist[0..halen), groups at idlist[30..]). Neither the transfer length nor halen/dhlen is validated. A malicious or non-conformant host can report a tl smaller than the negotiate structure, or a halen/dhlen larger than the array (both are u8, up to 255), making the loops read past the end of the allocated buffer (heap out-of-bounds read). The sibling nvmet_auth_reply() already validates tl against the structure size; the negotiate path did not. Pass tl into nvmet_auth_negotiate(), reject a tl that does not cover the negotiate data plus one full protocol descriptor, and reject halen/dhlen larger than NVME_AUTH_DHCHAP_MAX_DH_IDS.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.46%, higher than 39% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

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Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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